James s



J. S.ZANE.

Car-Track Clearer.

Patented Nov. 19. 1867.

Inventor:

Witnesses= AM- PHOTOLITHOJO. N.Y- (USBORNE'S PROCESS.)

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JAMES S. ZANE, OF PLEASANT PLAINS, ILLINOIS. y Letters Patent No. 71,111, dated November 19, 1867.

, IMPROVED SNOW-PLOUGH.

the seam retreat tn it flgttt items fittest saturating urt at the timid.

TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Be it known that I, JAMES S. ZANE, of Pleasant Plains, in the county of Sang amo n, and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful improvement in Snow-Ploughs} and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

Figure 1 is a side view of my improved snow-plough, with the wings raised to their highest elevation.

Figure 2 is a back view, showing the mechanism for raising and lowering the wings.

Figure 3 is a topview of the plough on the outside.

Figure 4 is top view of the elevating mechanism detached.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

This invention relates to an improvementvin the constru ction of snow-plonghs for railroads, and consists in inclined planes which are mounted on a truck and rise from the bed of the road to an elevated double mouldboard, which is hinged and so arranged in combination with machinery that'itmay be raised and lowered as required.

A A, figs. 1, 3, represent inclined planes made of sheet iron or other suitable material, and secured on a truck, 13, mounted on wheels C 0, adapted to the rails of a railroad, and designed to be attached in front of a locomotive for removing the snow from the track. The inclined planes AAare unitcdlengthwisc in the middle to form a sharp ridge between them, and face towards both sides of the-track. They rise from the bed of the road to a double mould-board, D, elevated several feet above the level of the track, and hinged upon the truckframe so as to be raised and lowered-as desired. The elevated double mould-board D is intended for clearing away deep snow 'drifts, and it is arranged so as to be lowered out of the way of'bridges when passing under them.

For this purpose it is attached to two segmental rack s, E E,-engaging the pinions a a on a shaft, 6, that carries a pulley, a, connected by a band to a pulley, c, placed on the axle m of the rear track-wheels C C, fig. 2. When the double mould-board D is raised, the lower ends of the segmental racks E E rest uponspring supports gg,

connected with a lever, It, fig. 4, by which they are drawn aside from under the racks to allow them to be lowcred when necessary.

To operate the pinions a a for raising or loweringthe double mould-board D, a shifting-clutch, k, is placed on the axle m to engage the pulley e by means of a lever, 7L. The levers k It may be worked by means of ropes connecting them with the engine. At the front'end of the snow-plough are placed two vertical cutters,

s s, at the sides secured to a frame, n, and a central movable cutter, p, which cutters divide the mass of snow and allow it to be thrown on each side of the track.

, Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The double mould-board D, hinged at the upper end of the inclined planes A A, to be raised and lowl cred as and for the purposes herein described.

2. The arrangement of the inclined planes A A, forming a ridge in the middle, the vertical cutters s s, and

the movable cutter 11, substantially as described.

JAMES S. ZANE.

Witnesses G. W. FINK, E. A. MoRPunw. 

